Months after the head office Government decided to reserve 25 percent of the Covid-19 vaccine doses The data produced in India for the private sector shows that the private sector accounts for only 7 percent of the vaccinations given in India in the past 2.5 months.
On July 20, in response to a question by MP Mallikarjun Kharge of Congress Rajya Sabha, the Union’s Ministry of Health said that between May 1 and July 15, around 7 percent of all Covid-19 vaccinations in India were given in private centers.
So are private hospitals no longer interested in giving Covid-19 vaccines?
Dr. Giridhar Gyani, General Director of the Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI), disagrees. “It gives the impression that the private sector is not interested in vaccinations. When we looked at the Metro and Tier II cities, we found that people who wanted to get vaccinated got them. The private sector has played a huge role in vaccinating people, “he said.
FEW USERS FOR PRIVATE HOSPITAL VACCINATIONS IN SMALL TOWNS
“After June, vaccine supply was aggregated by the government. Our medium-sized hospitals found it very difficult to get the doses. The requirement to order at least 3,000 doses in small town hospitals is difficult because they cannot pay.” an amount of Rs 18 lakh for such a large procurement, “said Dr. Gyani.
ALSO READ | Tamil Nadu launches free Covid-19 vaccination in private hospitals with CSR funds
AHPI conducted a survey of 70 private hospitals to find out their vaccination status. In the survey, 25 hospitals said the government had not appointed a node commissioner to address their concerns. Meanwhile, 39 hospitals have announced that the node officials have been appointed, but state governments are making no effort.
“The government needs a regulation that allows private hospitals to place small orders. In addition, people in smaller cities are mostly unwilling to pay because the Covid-19 vaccine is given free of charge in the state sector, “said Dr. Gyani.
In a July 19 statement, the government said more than 2.6 billion doses of vaccine were being wasted in states, union territories and private hospitals in the country.
COVID-19 VACCINE PRICE CAP IN CONNECTION WITH USE
Covid-19 vaccine underutilization in private hospitals could also be due to the price cap on service fees. While government centers give vaccines for free, private hospitals charge per dose. with an upper limit announced by the central government.
Private vaccination centers can charge up to 780 rupees per dose for Covishield, 1,410 rupees per dose for Covaxin, and 1,145 rupees per dose for Sputnik V. The maximum service fee they can charge is 150 rupees The question of the upper price limit for vaccinations has not yet been dealt with.
ALSO READ | Covishield for 780, Covaxin at 1,410: Center limits vaccination rates in private hospitals
“The price cap on vaccines increases the challenges for private hospitals trying to increase the number of people vaccinated. Because they operate without territorial restrictions (as opposed to public hospitals), private hospitals are leading the way in expanding the Indian vaccination campaign in the most innovative region Methods including door-to-door and drive-through vaccinations, setting up camps in shopping malls, offices, apartment buildings, etc. Kousar A Shah, COO of Aakash Healthcare.
He added that while the private sector supports and works towards the equitable distribution of vaccines, there is a cost to adopting innovative ways of vaccinating people.
ALSO READ | India’s Covid vaccination campaign is on track so far, but the road ahead is tough
“If private hospitals are not allowed to charge a higher amount, these overhead costs are not taken into account. Such gaps in turn can hinder the intention to pursue innovative approaches in order to achieve the maximum in the most convenient way by private actors ”, Dr. Shah said.
On condition of anonymity, an official at a large private hospital said: “The private sector operates on a high-margin model where volumes are low. Under the price cap, the margins and operating costs of administering vaccinations, especially off-hospital premises. ” has become a task itself. “
TIME FOR A CHANGE IN ALLOCATION STRATEGY?
Given these challenges and the low use of Covid-19 vaccines in the private sector, health experts suggest that the government should reconsider its decision to reserve 25 percent of vaccines for the private sector.
“Since private vaccination centers cannot make optimal use of the vaccine doses allocated to them, we have to rethink our sales strategy. One option for the government is to use private centers to set up satellite vaccination sites in underserved urban and rural areas, community clinics and house-to-house vaccination campaigns for people with disabilities and immobile people, “said the author and specialist for Internal Medicine Dr. Swapneil Parikh.
ALSO READ | 10% of the adults in India are fully vaccinated so far
Dr. Parikh added that the need to get people vaccines and think beyond the model of being solely dependent on mega vaccination centers is the order of the day.
“The worst thing is when the vaccines are on the shelves. Whichever way we go, we need to make sure that the vaccines are used as early as possible, ”said Dr. Parikh.
STATES URGE CENTER TO REVIEW DECISION
Several Prime Ministers have informed the Prime Minister’s Office that the vaccine allocation strategy needs to be changed.
On June 28, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin wrote to the center asking it to reduce vaccine allocation to private hospitals from 25 percent to 10 percent.
Odisha’s chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Interior Minister Amit Shah on July 19, calling on them to reduce vaccine allocation to private hospitals from the current 25 percent to 5 percent.
ALSO READ | Covid-19: Great miracle in tiny Bhutan
ALSO SEE | Vaccination Slows Down: What Causes Vaccine Deficiency?
إرسال تعليق